UK’s Maritime Minister, Nusrat Ghani, delivered a speech in the Houses of Parliament, celebrating Maritime 2050. As she said, the UK is ‘ahead of the game’, but to keep it that way she presented a route map in Maritime 2050.
Maritime 2050 seeks to enhance UK’s strength on maritime innovation focusing mostly on autonomy and low-carbon technologies. For many of these technologies there is a time-limited golden opportunity to be an early adopter, particularly on low-carbon.
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Additionally, Maritime 2050 is designed to maximise UK strength in this area, retaining and enhancing its competitive advantage and developing new areas to compliment the offer, like green finance.
Meanwhile, as the sector aspires to expand its diversity, Maritime 2050 challenges industry to broaden this work, working closely through Maritime UK’s Women in Maritime Taskforce.
As previously reported, the strategy is based on seven core ambitions:
- UK competitive advantage;
- Technology;
- People;
- Environment;
- Trade;
- Infrastructure;
- Security;
- Resilience.
Trade
According to Ms. Ghani ‘trading relationships are fundamental to the UK’s success.’ Therefore, the UK has created a 5-year trade strategy for maritime, which looks at increasing the UK’s exports.
To ensure that Free Trade Agreements are in place now that we have left the EU, we’ve been working with Transport Expert Trade Advisory Groups to make sure we are as competitive and streamlined as we possibly can be
In addition, the UK is committed to considering the case for freeports. Ms. Ghani ensured that the ports sector is being taken into consideration in the consultation and how the government moves forward.
Environment
Regarding the environment, Maritime 2050 is focused on decarbonisation and zero emission shipping. What is more, the UK has also published the Clean Maritime Plan, making the UK one of the first countries to publish a strategy on domestic action to reduce shipping emissions.
However, the Minister explained that effective decarbonization needs innovative thinking. For this reason, the government provided £1.5 million to MarRi-UK to launch a clean maritime innovation call. It will also launch a call for evidence on non-tax economic incentives to promote a transition towards zero emission shipping shortly.
Moreover, the UK is looking forward to working with industry on their ambitious plans for autonomous Atlantic crossings which are planned for later this year.
Including MSubs, who I visited in Plymouth. They are crucial in us celebrating the Mayflower’s voyage to America as this will be recreated with an autonomous ship. This work is being supported by the ground-breaking work of the Maritime Autonomy Regulation Lab, MARLab
The government has also provided MarRi-UK with £1.5million funding for the Technology and Innovation in UK Maritime call, while last July it launched the first 2050 Innovation Hub at the Port of Tyne.
Our ambition is to see a network of Innovation Hubs to act as focal points for innovation in their region. And we will be working incredibly hard for the rest of this year with you to make that happen
Minister Ghani added.
